1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seat and, more particularly, to a layable seat which is entirely pivotal between a horizontally laid non-use position where the seat is laid horizontally along a floor surface, and a raised use position where the seat is raised from the floor.
2. Description of the Related Art
The layable seat described above is known from, e.g., Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 62-101211. Such a seat is set on the upper surface of each of a plurality of nestable decks, which are movably installed on the floor surface of, e.g., a gymnasium, a community center, or a multi-purpose hall, and have sequentially different heights. And, these seats are used to temporarily set seats or increase the number of seats.
Each of the plurality of decks has a plurality of wheels at its lower end portion so that the deck is movable on the floor surface of the building as described above. The plurality of decks are mounted on the wall surface of such a building or in a recess formed in the wall surface so as to be expandable and contractable thereto.
When the plurality of decks are pulled out from the wall surface of the building or the recess of the wall surface, the plurality of decks constitute a staircase having deep steps on the floor surface of the building.
When the plurality of decks are contracted on the wall surface of the building or in the recess of the wall surface, the decks lower than the highest deck are sequentially nested in the inner space of the highest deck, thus decreasing the area of the floor of the building which is occupied by the decks.
A large number of layable seats are installed side by side on the upper surface of each of the plurality of decks. When the layable seats are set at a horizontally laid non-use position where they are laid horizontally along the upper surface, the plurality of decks can be contracted to the wall surface of the building or the recess of the wall surface. When the plurality of decks are pulled out from the wall surface of the building or the recess of the wall surface and then the seats on the decks are pivoted to a raised use position where they are raised from the upper surfaces of the decks, the layable seats can be used as temporary seats.
In the conventional layable seat, a pair of supporting legs that support the right and left side edges of a backrest are installed at their base end portions on the upper surface of a corresponding deck, so that the supporting legs are manually selectively pivotal or automatically selectively pivotal by a motor between a horizontally laid position where the supporting legs are laid horizontally along the upper surface, and a raised position where the supporting legs are raised from the floor surface. A seat member is pivotably connected at the rear end portions of its right and left side surfaces to the paired supporting legs, so that the seat member is pivotable between a horizontal use position where the seat member is horizontal, and a vertically folded position where the seat member is flipped up in a substantially vertical direction to extend along the pair of supporting legs, while the paired supporting legs are arranged at the raised position. The seat member is urged to the vertically folded position by urging means incorporated in the paired supporting legs.
When a user sits down on the seat member, the user at first must pivot the seat member from the vertically folded position to the horizontal use position against the urging force of the urging means, and then manually hold the seat member at the horizontal use position until he or she places his or her buttocks on the seat member. Therefore, if the user carries baggage with his or her two hands, if the user's two hands are disabled, or if the user's one hand is disabled and he or her carries baggage with his or her other hand, the user needs other's help or the user must temporarily put the baggage held by his or her two hands or one hand on the floor in order to sit down on the seat member.
In order to pivot the seat member from the vertically folded position to the horizontal use position without using the hand, it is proposed that the seat member is inclined forwardly with it front end separating from the backrest when the seat member is located at the vertically folded position. In this state, if the user puts his or her buttocks on the front end of the seat member which is inclined forwardly and then sits down, the user can pivot the seat member to the horizontal use position with his or her buttocks.
In this case, however, when the layable seat is entirely laid on the upper surface of the corresponding deck, the front end of the seat member which is inclined forwardly at the vertically folded position firstly contacts the upper surface of the deck. The front end of the seat member slides on the upper surface until the seat member is laid horizontally on the upper surface together with the paired supporting legs and the backrest. For this reason, every time the front end of the seat member abuts against the upper surface of the corresponding deck, comparatively large noise is produced. The front end of the seat member, and a portion of the upper surface against and on which the front end of the seat member constantly abuts and slides can be easily damaged. Furthermore, since the front end of the seat member is soiled by this slidable contact, it soils the clothing of the user who contacts it.